i have a 1990 accord and just changed out the alternator. my question is how tight do my belts need to be?

 

in the manual haynes or other, if you have it, say how to know the tension and at what tension the belt should go.

 

i checked it out in the haynes and in the directions that came with the alternator and all they told me was how to check it, but not the spefications. when i turn my car on it squeaks for about two-to-four seconds and then clears up.
any input appreciated.

 

If its squeaking you need to tighten it up a bit. I'm not sure how to describe the tension. You should be able to turn the belt 90*, if that makes sense.

 

so the squeaking is from the belt slipping on the pulley. thanx, i thought for some reason they were too tight

 

I think some belts slip easier than others. I once bought a NAPA belt that was too tight according to adjustment. And it still would slip a little on cold start, then would not slip again after that. Almost put my original Honda belts back on even though they had 80,000 miles on them (they still looked pretty good).